Create A Concept List
Take your project and write down of all the words, descriptors, phrases, ideas, mantras, etc. that come to mind. Aim for 25 50. Seriously, come up with as many as possible.
Use a thesaurus to help. I like to call this a concept list. Its the list before your final name list.
Some high level rules:
- Dont worry about SEO or keywords that doesnt matter.
- Stick with a .com only. If you are in the UK, Australia, etc. then of course a .co.uk, .au, etc. is also good.
- The shorter the better, generally speaking.
Remember: Its just concepts for now. This doesnt have to be perfect.
Should I Buy A Website Domain Name At An Auction
If the domain name you want is taken and you are willing to pay a premium to get it, an auction or broker sale may be a good way to get the domain youre after. Of course, trying to buy a website domain name will most likely cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
Domain owners can sometimes have unrealistic expectations as far as the value of their domain names is concerned. If the domain you want is for sale through a broker, dont hesitate to offer less.
The negotiation room is often built into the asking price.
If you are just starting, then I recommend buying a domain name the cheaper, more traditional way: directly through a domain registrar.
With a little imagination and ingenuity, you can come up with a domain name thats available to register, and every bit as good as an older domain thats for sale.
Older domain names can also have a bad history. A domain used for spamming or one thats been attached to a site that has engaged in black hat SEO can be banned by Google! A newly registered domain name doesnt come with any such hidden baggage.
Beware Of Hidden Fees
Price plays a huge role while deciding to purchase the domain name. The market is full of domain registrars who will try to lure you into buying from them. But the key is to be vigilant and not get fooled into buying one that appears cheap but has tons of hidden fees and expensive upsells .
Some registrars may sell you a domain name at a cheap price in the name of promotional offers. However, there will be a lot of add on costs in the name of renewal fees, contract fees, expensive rebills and more. So, before you take any decision do your research well.
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How To Buy A Domain Name For Less Than You Think
If you want to start a website, you need a domain name. Buying one takes less than five minutes. And costs a lot less than you think, especially when you bundle it with web hosting. You need both to build a website, so why not get them together? If youre wondering exactly how to buy a domain name or how to save money when buying a domain, youre in the right place.
Does A Domain Name Registration Expire And What Happens If It Does Before I Renew It
When you register a domain name, youll see the registration date as well as the expiration date. Every domain name expires at some point, whether thats in a year, a couple of years, or a decade. You can save time by buying a domain with a longer expiration date. In any case, youll need to manually renew your domain when that expiration date is approaching.
The good news is that you can renew your domain name registration before it expires, which allows you to keep your domain name. This is especially important if you have a very simple domain name thats highly sought after. Typically, youll receive your first reminder to renew your domain about a month before it expires. If you still dont renew your domain name after receiving this message, youll get another reminder about a week before your domain expires.
So, what happens if you forget to renew your domain name before it expires? As long as the domain name hasnt been registered by somebody else, you can reactivate your domain name after the expiration date. Keep in mind that some domains are in much higher demand than others, and there are even some bots out there that automatically register high-profile domains when they become available.
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Find A Good Domain Name
Now that you have found a registrar through which to register your domain, the next step is to perform a domain name search.
When choosing a domain name, make sure to pick the right domain extension as well its the suffix at the end of a web address. Domain name extensions are also referred to as top-level domains .
There are different types of domain extensions available, such as:
- Country Code Top-Level Domain . This kind of TLD represents a specific country, letting both users and search engines know that a site is designed for visitors from a particular region. An example of this is the .us domain, which is the ccTLD for the United States.
- Sponsored Top-Level Domain . Its a type of TLD restricted to certain types of groups and organizations. Some of sTLD examples include .mil, .gov, and .edu.
- Generic Top-Level Domain . Its the most common type of TLD it doesnt rely on a country code and can be used for general purposes. A few examples of gTLDs include .com, .org, and .net. This category also includes new extensions, such as .xyz, .club, and .online.
When deciding on the extension that is suitable for your domain, look for a TLD that represents the purpose of your website. Choosing the wrong suffix can confuse visitors and make your brand name prone to being misinterpreted.
Free Domains From Hosting Services
Hosting providers like BlueHost and GoDaddy offer a year of free domain registration with the purchase of their other hosting services. If youre looking to use one of these hosting services to build your website, then its definitely a good idea to take advantage of this option.
That being said, if youre planning on using a website builder like Shopify, the cost of unneeded hosting services will be more expensive than purchasing a custom domain. On top of this, domain registration is only free for the first year. Renewing the domain in the years following will still come with the same costs.
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Hostgator Best For Budget
HostGator is a web hosting company that guarantees uptime 99.9% of the time. It also offers 24/7 support an impressive 365 days a year via phone and live chat.
HostGator is also affordable. There are three hosting plans to choose from: the Hatchling Plan, the Baby Plan, and the Business Plan. If you go with the most affordable plan, youll pay just $2.75 a month for web hosting.
Keep in mind, however, that youll need to sign up for three years of web hosting to receive the lowest monthly price and your domain name is only free for the first year. After that, it renews at $17.99 per year.
But HostGators plans are incredibly affordable, to the point where they make it easy on your wallet if you dont want to settle for the most basic of hosting plans.
If you need shared hosting for more than one site, the Baby Plan allows you to host as many as you need for just 75 cents more per month.
What makes HostGator particularly scalable is their unmetered bandwidth and site storage on all shared hosting plans. That means you can accomodate as many site visits and use as much storage space as you need, within reason.
Most sites wont have to worry about using up too much of their servers resources. And youll never again have to count monthly visits to make sure you dont exceed your limit.
If you prefer a one-year term, the monthly fee increases to $3.95 for the Hatchling Plan and $5 for the Baby Plan, with a free domain for the entire one-year duration.
Cost To Register A Domain Name
According to HostGator, domain name cost ranges from free to tens of thousands of dollars, with the average domain name settling around $10-$12 annually. These factors will affect what you’d pay for a specific domain:
- The demand for the particular name you choose
- The TLD domain extension
- The domain registrar you’re purchasing from
- Whether the domain has already been purchased by someone else
- Whether you commit to an annual payment or another payment schedule
- Add-ons such as privacy
Whether you choose a free or paid domain will depend on your budget and your website’s purpose. For example, you might need a basic website or something simple and temporary. In that case, a free domain name might be a good option.
However, paid domain names look more professional and are more likely to grow with your brand. You should ultimately decide what will work best for your business and goals.
Pro Tip: You can get free hosting and link your custom domain to your site for free when you build it with HubSpot CMS.
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Transfer The Domain To Your Name
Finally, you need to find an ICANN-accredited registrar for your new domain so that you can transfer ownership to your name. You can use the same registrar the old domain owner used.
While many registrars have their internal transfer process, most require you to confirm that the old owner has sold you the domain and that you are the new owner. The registrar will then process the transfer and notify both parties once the transfer is complete. The domain transfer process may take up to 60 days, and you may need to pay a fee.
If the old owner purchased the domain less than 60 days ago, the domain might be subject to a Change of Registrant lock. Youll need to wait until this period passes to change ownership.
Verifying Ownership Of Your New Domain
According to an ICANN regulation, domain providers are obliged to check the contact data of domain buyers for authenticity as of September 1, 2014. This applies to both the new and the classic, generic top-level domains. Therefore, following the purchase of a new web address, providers will send an email to the contact address you provided during registration.
When youre switching domain providers your provider must also verify the authenticity of the contact details via email.
The key part of this email is a verification link, which you can use to confirm your ownership within 15 days. Usually, the provider sends a reminder email after one week if you have not verified yourself by then. If the 15-day period is exceeded, the provider will deactivate the domain. By providing new contact information, the verification process can be re-initiated at a later stage. However, ICANN reserves the right to release web addresses again if confirmation is not received for a longer period.
3 ways to be present and grow online
Get found with your own domain. Build trust with your own email address. Reach visitors with your own website.
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Build Your Business By Registering Your Domain
After weighing the benefits and drawbacks of free or paid domains, you should get started on your search for the perfect domain name. Domain names can go quickly and there’s a little more competition than Symbolics had in 1985 so it is important to register the one you want before it is too late.
Registering a domain name is quick and easy, but it does take some time to brainstorm the right name, select the optimal suffix, and find the right domain registrar for you. As such, there’s no better time than now to get started on registering your domain name.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
How Do I Buy Domain Names
Here are the steps to buy domains:
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How To Buy A Domain For Office 365 Operated By 21vianet
If you don’t already have your own domain, you can easily buy one online at a domain name registrar, domain reseller, or even at your current Internet provider. You get a domain name when you sign up for Office 365 operated by 21Vianet, for example, contoso.partner.onmschina.cn. But you may want to use a custom domain name, like fourthcoffee.com.
To set up a domain in Microsoft 365, you must own a domain and change some of the DNS records for your domain.
Caution
Some domain registrars or DNS hosting providers do not allow creating all the DNS records required by Microsoft 365. The following list of hosting providers supports all the needed records. If you’re thinking of using a different hosting provider, Service limitations when your hosting provider does not support SRV, CNAME, TXT, or redirection.
After you register your domain , you sign in to Microsoft 365 as an admin. Then, set up your domain so you can use it with your email address and other services.
Note
The SharePoint Online Public Website information in this article only applies if your organization purchased Microsoft 365 prior to March 9, 2015.
Negotiate A Price That Works For Both Of You
When you get in contact, negotiate a fair price. Look up the domains history on the Wayback Machine and check out the domains Domain Authority to get a sense of its value. You can use tools such as Moz or Ahrefs to get this number.
Once you settle on a price, use Escrow to facilitate payment. Do not use your personal PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle account.
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Get Started Online With The Right Domain Name
Your domain name sets the tone for your online presence, and finding the right one can take time and effort. But, with options ranging from entirely free to five figures or more, anyone on just about any budget can buy a domain name to launch a business or a brand.
Domain.com has the tools you need to continue building your business into a success.
Kristin Crabb
Content Marketing Strategist working in the digital marketing industry. Skilled in SEO-focused content creation, keyword research and competitive analysis, interactive content, web content optimization, and landing page creation.
Choosing A Reputable Domain Registrar
The allocation of all available domain endings has been the responsibility of ICANN since 1998. The organization manages all established and new top-level domains and sells the allocation rights to registries, which in turn work together with domain registrars . So, if you want to get a suitable address for your website, the first step is to choose a suitable registrar. Here you should not only pay attention to the costs, but also make sure that the desired top-level domain is available.
In addition, it is important that you choose a serious provider. Otherwise, you run the risk of the purchased domain not being registered correctly or not being available at all. In our big domain provider comparison, we took a closer look at the best domain startup sites like IONOS and united-domains for you.
You dont necessarily have to register a domain just for your own website – the domain trade has been booming for years now. You can find out more on this topic in our article Domain trading: How can you make money with domains?.
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The Low Down On Uptimes
If youre looking into web hosting, youll hear the term uptime guarantee a lot. Uptime, which is the percentage of time that a hosting service is up and running, will be guaranteed by various companies with a certain percentage of time to be up. That doesn’t mean they will definitely go down for the other percentage of the time, but they can say without fail that they will be up for at least that amount of time.
This is important is because you dont want your site constantly being unavailable or unreachable to your customers. Otherwise, why have a website at all? Quality brands like HostGator and Bluehost offer a more than 99% uptime guarantee, and thats really good for your business.
Avoid Numbers And Hyphens
Imagine asking your 10 friends to spell or pronounce a domain name filled with numbers and dashes. It wont work.
If you choose a domain name with these elements, youre likely going to lose traffic to people who cant remember your domain or effectively tell someone else how to find it. We probably wouldnt have Facebook today if you had to go to Face-Book.com to reach the site.
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